Pantera Issue Comment on Death of Pop Star Christina Grimmie

The tragic death of pop star Christina Grimmie has hit home with many over the weekend as the focus on concert security once again is front and center. Grimmie was shot and killed by an assailant who attended a post-concert meet-and-greet and pulled out a shotgun and killed the vocalist before later taking his own life. For music fans in the rock scene, this may sound familiar, and someone speaking on behalf of Pantera has weighed in on Grimmie's death.

Back in 2004, we lost Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell when a gunman entered the Ohio club where Damageplan, Dimebag's band at the time, was playing and killed the guitarist along with members of the band's crew and security before eventually being shot and killed. It's a tragedy that still looms large over a decade later, and sadly Grimmie's death has brought that back to the forefront.

We are so sad and disappointed to hear that Christina Grimmie was gunned down the same way that Dimebag Darrell was. After Dime's murder, we all prayed that our industry (i.e. club owners & promoters) would do whatever they needed to do to protect artists from gun wielding fanatics. Sadly, that's not the case and another rising star had to pay the consequences with her life. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE! RIP Christina & RIP Dime, Jeff Thompson, Erin Halk, and Nathan Bray.

Pantera had split at the time of Dimebag Darrell's death and all talks of a potential reunion of the living members since have not yielded anything. Dimebag and Vinnie Paul were performing in their new band Damageplan at the time of the shooting.

Grimmie was just 22. She had started her career by posting videos of covers to YouTube, and had covered the likes of System of a Down and Stone Sour along the way. The vocalist caught her big break appearing on Season 6 of NBC's The Voice, and she placed third that season.